Chapter 10

As Mu Xian was still staring at the divine blood jade marrow in a daze, he suddenly found it flying up and landing straight on his chest, then hovering there motionless.

Mu Xian looked at the Flame Tiger with confusion, only to find the Flame Tiger nodding vigorously, its eyes full of anticipation.

Although the Flame Tiger did not speak, Mu Xian understood the meaning it wanted to convey.

"Xiao Hu, I am now surrounded by danger and urgently need to enhance my strength. This divine blood jade marrow is just in time for me. I won't be coy with you," Mu Xian mused for a moment before reaching out to hold the divine blood jade marrow.

Mu Xian had originally just wanted to satisfy his urge to concoct magic potions, and helped the Flame Tiger enhance its strength as a side effect, without any other intentions.

However, after receiving the Flame Tiger's generous reward by chance, Mu Xian was deeply moved and silently resolved to never abandon the Flame Tiger no matter how powerful he became in the future.

Seeing Mu Xian accept the gift, the Flame Tiger's eyes showed joy, and it let out a series of snorts from its nose.

Mu Xian did not put the divine blood jade marrow in his pocket himself; instead, he squatted down, picked up a relatively large piece of jade, and began to carve it with his black iron sword.

After half a stick of incense had passed, a delicate jade box was born from Mu Xian's hands.

Mu Xian then placed the divine blood jade marrow into the jade box. The dense spiritual energy in the stone cave immediately faded and disappeared, and Mu Xian let out a sigh of relief.

"Xiao Hu, I'm going home first. After resolving the family crisis, I will come to the mountains to play with you," Mu Xian said, putting the jade box containing the divine blood jade marrow in his pocket, and couldn't help but stroke the Flame Tiger's head again before resolutely turning to leave.

Seeing Mu Xian's rapidly disappearing figure, the Flame Tiger did not chase after him but watched him leave with a reluctant gaze. Only after Mu Xian's figure disappeared did it let out a long howl to the sky.

After descending the mountain, Mu Xian first returned to where the carriage was, but found that Ling Tian was not waiting for him. Mu Xian then changed direction and sped towards Shitang Town.

The Mu family was located in the southwest of Shitang Town, bordering the Shen Duan Mountain. As soon as Mu Xian stepped out of the Shen Duan Mountain, the Mu family's courtyard was already in sight.

Seeing that he was almost home, Mu Xian felt a hint of fear and found it hard to take a step forward.

"Enough, what needs to be faced must be faced. I hope I don't show any signs of weakness," Mu Xian sighed, thinking of the sharpness of Tang Qiluo, the mother of his previous host. He then steeled himself and walked towards the Mu residence.

Soon, Ling Tian and Mu Xian stopped.

Because as soon as they approached the Mu family residence, Mu Xian heard the sounds of intense fighting coming from the courtyard, and a strong smell of blood also hit his nose. Clearly, the Mu family was not peaceful at this moment.

A sense of unease rose in Mu Xian's heart. He frowned and, instead of walking towards the main gate, directly circled around to the north courtyard's wall. After confirming that no one was around, he quickly climbed over the wall.

The fighting sounds were coming from the north courtyard, where Mu Xian's parents usually lived. At this moment, Mu Xian's father, Mu Yuanshan, was away, so only his mother, Tang Qiluo, was inside. Seeing that someone had the audacity to cause trouble in the north courtyard, Mu Xian's face turned extremely grim.

Perhaps the Mu family's guards were all attracted to the north courtyard, allowing Mu Xian to enter the north courtyard smoothly without any hindrance.

Mu Xian quickly found Ling Tian in the crowd. However, when he saw Ling Tian's惨状, his eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

Ling Tian was covered in wounds all over his body, with no intact spot left. His right arm was severed at the shoulder, and his broadsword lay pitifully at his feet.

A large hole was torn in Ling Tian's waist, with a piece of intestine protruding, which he was holding tightly with his left hand.

Although the broadsword was right next to Ling Tian, he didn't have the strength to bend down and pick it up, which was a huge humiliation for someone who never parted with his sword.

In fact, Ling Tian was having difficulty standing straight. The only reason he hadn't fallen was because a hideous young man was tightly supporting him.

From the merged memories, Mu Xian knew that this hideous young man was named Ling Zhan, the son of Ling Tian and Mu Xian's best friend, without a doubt.

Ling Zhan had a broad nose, a wide mouth, and a messy hairstyle, making him look extremely ugly. However, his physique was astonishing. Ling Tian was already a towering and robust figure, but Ling Zhan was even taller, standing a head above Ling Tian and with a physique that was a full circle larger.

Ling Zhan's clothes were tattered, and his face was covered in blood. His eyes were filled with tears of hatred.

Ling Zhan held a three-zhang-long steel halberd, standing like a door god at the entrance of the north courtyard, exuding a formidable aura that made it seem as if one man could hold off ten thousand.

Behind Ling Tian and Ling Zhan, several dozen people lay scattered, some already dead, others with severed limbs and barely alive. The strong smell of blood emanated from their bodies, permeating the entire courtyard.

Ling Tian spat out a mouthful of dirty blood, his eyes dark as he glared at the dozens of figures standing in front of him. "Mu Deyu, your brother and sister-in-law have always treated you with great kindness. Why must you go to such extremes?"

"Great kindness? Bullshit! Mu Yuanshan's stinginess is well-known in Shitang Town, and Tang Qiluo's reputation for being shrewd is equally well-known. With their penny-pinching nature, how could they have treated you with great kindness? Why don't you say they were trying to buy me and my clan to enrich themselves?"

As Ling Tian's words fell, a gray-robed old man spat out in anger.

This gray-robed old man was none other than Mu Deyu, the head elder of the Mu family and another Wu Dao practitioner at the peak of the Condensation Realm, besides Mu Gui Tu.

Next to Mu Deyu lay about twenty people, some with swords through their bodies, others split in two. They all shared a common feature: they were no longer breathing.

However, compared to the north courtyard where only Ling Tian and Ling Zhan were still standing, Mu Deyu's side still had about forty people on their feet.

"Ling Tian, you and your son are not part of our Mu family. There's no need for you to get involved in our family affairs. If you know what's good for you, clear the way for us. Otherwise, next year's today will be your memorial day," Mu Deyu said, casting a wary glance at Ling Tian and sternly ordering him.

Mu Deyu couldn't help but be wary of Ling Tian. He originally thought that his cultivation level was one rank higher than Ling Tian's, so he would definitely win. However, the actual battle was not as expected.

Ling Tian's sword technique was purely for killing. Every swing of his sword took a life. In just over twenty swings, he had felled over twenty people, including not only Flesh Body Realm cultivators but also many Condensation Realm cultivators, some of whom were at the same high level as Ling Tian.

Seeing his people being killed one by one, Mu Deyu, enraged and ashamed, tried several times to save them but was deterred by Ling Tian's desperate fighting style, failing to save anyone.

In Mu Deyu's eyes, Ling Tian had become a madman. Even though Ling Tian was clearly on the verge of collapse, Mu Deyu didn't dare to force him, fearing that this madman would take him down as a last resort.

"Old dog, our lives are here. If you want them, come and take them. If we flinch, we're not men," Ling Tian sneered, sternly saying, "As for us clearing the way, you can dream on."

"Brother, why are you wasting time with this madman? He can barely stand. I can end his life with a single sword strike. His hideous son is even less of a concern," Ling Tian's words were followed by a prompt from an old man behind Mu Deyu.

The old man was named Mu Deguang, Mu Deyu's younger brother and the fourth elder of the Mu family, at the initial stage of the Condensation Realm. Despite his age, Mu Deguang was notorious for his lust, and his body had long been drained by alcohol and women, making his actual combat ability inferior to that of a peak Flesh Body Realm cultivator.

"Head Elder, Fourth Elder is right. Ling Tian has already killed so many of us. This grudge cannot be left unresolved. Ling Tian is now just a spent force, not worth worrying about. His hideous son has only brute strength and hasn't even reached the Condensation Realm, so he can't escape our hands," another elder couldn't help but speak up when Mu Deyu hesitated to make a decision.

As Mu Deguang and the other elder spoke, the people behind Mu Deyu also chimed in in agreement.

Hearing the shameless words of the people around Mu Deyu, the people in the north courtyard turned red with anger. However, except for Ling Tian and Ling Zhan, who still had the strength to fight, the rest were pale and clearly exhausted, making it difficult for them to voice their anger.

"Ling Tian, since you are so unreasonable, I will send your son on his way first," Mu Deyu said, his face showing a mix of anger and shame. He knew that if he didn't act, his authority would be completely lost.

As Mu Deyu finished speaking, a fierce sword aura quickly enveloped his long sword, and a fierce aura burst out, piercing through the mist and pouring towards Ling Zhan.

"Mu Deyu, do you have any shame left? You are over fifty years old and are attacking a child. If you have any issues, come at me," Mu Deyu was just about to attack when the north courtyard gate creaked open, and a clear voice echoed from inside the courtyard.

Hearing this voice, Mu Deyu's body froze, and his gaze instinctively turned towards the north courtyard gate.